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Distance Learning Opportunities at TTU

I'm forwarding this message to you about courses in technical communication
at Texas Tech University. I, and Dr. Goubil-Gambrel (see address below)
welcome your questions about the course in Technical Manuals being offered
this spring.

Dr. Thomas Barker
tbarker -at- ttu -dot- edu

--------------8<----included message
The Technical Communication program at Texas Tech University will continue
to offer graduate courses via the internet in the spring of 1998. The
spring course is English 5373, Technical Manuals. This course follows the
successful fall 1997 offering of Document Design. Applications and
enrollment must be completed by January 9.

Students can earn three hours of graduate credit by completing the course.
Students may be pursuing a graduate degree in technical communication or
completing the course for professional development.

The distance courses require no onsite work. All discussion and delivery of
assignments is via the internet; some assignments would be mailed to Texas
Tech. Class members will need Internet access.

The course begins and ends according to the university's semester schedule:
January 12-May 6. The class "meets" synchronously for an hour on Tuesday at
6:00 p.m. (Central Time).

The expectations for performance and study are the same for a distance
course as for an onsite course, though the time spent in various activities
will vary. A graduate student should probably be able to commit 10-12 hours
per week for the reading, discussion, and assignments.

Technical Manuals will be taught by Professor Thomas Barker. Dr. Barker has
been on the Texas Tech faculty since 1982 and has just published a
textbook, Writing Software Documentation: A Task-Oriented Approach (Allyn &
Bacon 1998).

One student enrolled in the fall 1997 class offered these comments about
the course:

"I am quite pleased with Texas Tech's Technical Communication program so
far. Dr. Goubil-Gambrell's class has provided not only document design
theory and principles, but also practical methods for implementing those
principles, which I have been able to easily transfer to my job."

Enrollment in graduate courses is limited to 15 students. Applications for
the course will be reviewed according to the criteria we use to review
applicants for the MATC degree.